


TWO MINUS ONE EQUALS...

by ksstarfire



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Angst, Gen, h/c
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-25 23:53:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9852596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksstarfire/pseuds/ksstarfire
Summary: A hit.One dead detective?One heart-broken detective?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I swore to myself that I wouldn't post a story in chapters again, but here I am doing so. Hope to have this finished by the end of the week. Please bear with me!

Starsky set his beer down on the coffee table and went to answer the knock at his door. He pulled the door open and said, “How come you’re so late, and why didn’t you just come on in?” He looked up to see Captain Dobey standing there instead of his partner.

“Hey, Cap’n, come on in. You’re just in time. Hutch should be here any minute. He’s late. But you can join us for a beer and catch the rest of the game.” Starsky walked back to the couch and picked up his beer as he sank back down.

“Starsky. I need to talk to you.” Dobey followed Starsky in shutting the door behind him.

“Sure, Cap. Wanna wait for Hutch to get here? He was supposed to be here almost an hour ago.”

“Starsky… Dave… “

“What Cap’n? What’s this about?” Starsky got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"There was... we got a call..."

"What happened, Cap?"

"Hutch got a call to go out and check a lead. He got in his car and when he turned the key, the car exploded.”

“What?”

"Starsky... Hutch is dead."

“No. He’s coming over. He’s probably here right now.” Starsky got up, went to the door and opened it. He looked down to parking area. The bomb squad truck was there and officers were looking at his car. “What? Hey! What are you guys doing with my car!” 

“Starsky. Come back and sit down. They’re checking it to see if anyone tampered with it.”

Starsky closed the door and walked woodenly back to the couch. He sank down on it and looked at Dobey. “I don’t understand.”

Dobey took a deep breath. “Hutch called the station and told dispatch he’d gotten a call about a case. Said it sounded promising and he was going to go meet the caller to get the details. A woman walking by his place saw a tall blond man wearing a green leather jacket and tan cords come out of the stairwell to Hutch’s. She said he got in the car and started it. She heard several massive explosions. 

“She was blown down on the sidewalk by the blasts. By the time she got back on her feet, the car was a ball of fire. She hurried to the payphone on the corner and called the fire department. They radioed the station on their way to the call. 

“The fire was too big and too hot for her to try to help Hutch. When the fire crew got there, all they could do was try to keep the fire from spreading to Hutch’s house.”

Starsky sat and stared at Dobey. He was in shock. Hutch was dead? No. There had to be some kind of mistake.

“There wasn’t much left of the car. They did find a piece of green leather that must have come from Hutch’s jacket. It was on the sidewalk near the building.

“Dave, I’m sorry. I was at Hutch’s. Then I came here with the bomb squad to let you know and have them go over your car.”

“My car?”

“Someone targeted Hutch. Odds are they would have targeted you as well.”

“You’re sure, Cap?”

“I saw… the body when they pulled it from the car. It was a tall man. I’m sure, Starsky. I’m sorry.”

Someone knocked on the door and Dobey got up to answer it. “The car’s clean, Captain Dobey.”

“Thanks. Have one of the patrol units stay.” 

The man saluted and walked back down the stairs.

“I need to go over there.” Starsky stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. 

“I’ll take you, Dave.”

“No…. “

“I’ll take you, or you’re not going.” Dobey interrupted.

Starsky nodded and they left his apartment, got in Dobey’s car and headed for Hutch’s. 

As Dobey drove, Starsky tried to steel himself for what he would find at Hutch’s. He felt like he was numb and super-aware at the same time. He felt calm and like he could vomit at any second. He couldn’t imagine Hutch being gone. Not forever. He felt tears well in his eyes and he looked out the window so he could wipe them away without Dobey seeing. 

He smelled the smoke in the air about two blocks away and almost told Dobey to stop and take him back home. But he owed it to Hutch to be strong and to help find out who had done this. Hutch would be counting on him. 

Dobey pulled up behind one of the fire engines and turned off the car. He looked at Starsky. “You don’t have to do this tonight. We can wait until they take the car to impound.”

Starsky took a deep breath, and regretted it as the stench of the fire filled his lungs. “No. I need to see.”

Dobey and Starsky got out of the car and walked toward what was left of Hutch’s car. Starsky almost fell to his knees.

The car was almost unrecognizable. The metal was twisted and melted into a grotesque shape that had no resemblance to Hutch’s LTD. The inside was a gutted mess of melted metal and plastic. Starsky closed his eyes and thought, “God, Hutch. I hope it was quick. I hope you didn’t suffer.”

As if reading his mind, Dobey put his hand on Starsky’s shoulder. “ The ME was here and said he would have died instantly.”

Starsky nodded and walked around the car. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but still he looked. The tires were puddles of melted rubber on the street and the wheels had sunk into the asphalt due to the intense heat. All the glass had either been blown out or broken from the fire.  


When he had circled the car and ended up back by the driver’s door, he stopped, staring into the charred ruins. 

“Hutch.” He whispered the name. It was a plea and a benediction. 

Dobey walked up to him and took him by the arm. “Come on, son. I’ll take you home. We need to talk about keeping you safe now. I want you to move to a safe house until we get a line on who did this. They hit Hutch, odds are they’ll try for you as well.”

Starsky allowed himself to be steered back to Dobey’s car. He felt like he was walking through a fog. What was he going to do without Hutch? He was somehow less than he had been. He was half a man. The numbness grew thicker. He didn’t remember the ride back to his house. He didn’t remember Dobey leaving him in the car while he ran into Starsky’s apartment and packed some clothes for him. 

When Dobey climbed back in the car, it didn’t look like Starsky had moved at all. He had tossed the suitcases in the back seat and Starsky hadn’t flinched at the sound.

“Dave?” He reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. There was no response. Dobey started the car and drove off. He kept one eye on the road and one on his detective.

******


	2. Chapter Two

Starsky was still numb and locked inside himself when Dobey pulled up to a small motel on the edge of town. He sat in the car, not moving or seeing anything around him. All his mind was doing was replaying the sight of Hutch’s car over and over and over. He saw the total destruction of the car, inside and out. He worried that Hutch hadn’t died instantly. What if he had felt the explosion? What if he had been trapped in the car and felt the flames engulfing at him?

He didn’t realize he had started to cry until Dobey got back in the car and put his hand on his arm. “Dave?”

Starsky quickly wiped his face and turned to Dobey. “I’m okay.”

Dobey shook his head, started the car and drove to one of the rooms near the end. He got out and grabbed Starsky’s suitcases. He took them into the room. When Starsky didn’t come inside the room, he walked back out to the car. Starsky was sitting and staring out the windshield, but didn’t seem to be actually seeing anything. 

He opened the passenger door and put his hand under Starsky’s arm. “Come on, Dave. Time to get into the room.” 

Starsky allowed himself to be helped out of the car and lead into the room. He sat in the chair Dobey led him too. He stared at the red carpeting and didn’t hear anything Dobey was saying. All he heard was a buzzing in his ears. 

Dobey realized Starsky wasn’t listening and walked over to sit in the chair beside his. “Dave. Dave!” Dobey was concerned Starsky was going into shock. Maybe he should have taken him to a hospital? Losing his partner and best friend had to have been the worst thing imaginable. He, himself was only able to hold in his grief because Starsky needed him to be strong for now. “Dave! Can you hear me?”

Starsky looked up at Captain Dobey. “What? Sorry. Just…”

“I know, son. I know. I need you to stay put here for the time being. We need to see what leads we can come up with. There’s a kitchenette and we stocked the fridge. Don’t leave this room. Officers are in the rooms on either side of this one. You hear anything or need anything, the phone numbers are written down on the table by the bed.” Dobey paused before he told Starsky, “I need you to think of who might have wanted to kill you and Hutch. Anyone you can think of, we’re gonna go over with a fine tooth comb. What cases are coming up in court, anyone up for parole who you two might have gone to fight against them getting out?”

Nodding, Starsky stood and walked to the kitchenette. He opened the fridge and pulled out one of the beers that was stocked there. He opened it with the opener sitting on the counter and walked over to the bed and sat down.

“You gonna be okay, Starsky? You want me to get Huggy or someone else to come and stay with you?”

“No, thanks. I’ll be… I’ll be okay.”

“Call if you need anything.” Dobey took one last look at Starsky and walked out of the room, making sure the door locked behind him.


	3. Chapter Three

Starsky got up as soon as Dobey shut the door. He wanted to put his fist through a wall, but knew the noise would draw the officers from the rooms on either side of him. His anger would rise then ebb. He paced the small room, his fists clenched. He felt like his heart was going to literally break in half and fall out of his chest. Finally he ran out of steam.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes. He picked up the beer and held up the bottle in his hand and said, “To you, Hutch. To the best partner and friend anyone could have ever asked for.” He had to stop because his throat was tightening and he couldn’t talk any more. After a few seconds he continued, “I hope it was instant. I couldn’t stand knowing you’d suffered.” Tears were running down his face. “I’ll never forget you, Hutch. Never. And I’ll find who did this. I promise. I’ll find them, and they will pay.” He raised the beer bottle in the air. “To you, Hutch. I love you.” He took a swallow of the beer then sat the bottle on the table by the bed. He scooted down in the bed and buried his face in the pillows, letting the tears and sobs out.

He cried himself to sleep. But his sleep was filled with nightmares. He kept seeing Hutch in his car when the explosions went off. Hutch would beat on the windows trying to get out. He was screaming Starsky’s name. Calling for Starsky to save him. Starsky jerked awake after one very gruesome dream. He wiped his face on the pillow and sat up. 

“God, Hutch, I’m not sure I can do this.” He felt sorry the second the words came out. 

“I’ll get justice for you, Hutch. I won’t stop. I’ll keep you in my heart and you’ll keep me going until this is over. Then… well, we’ll talk about that then.” 

Starsky got out of bed and saw that Dobey had left a legal pad and pens on the table. He walked over and sat down. He pulled the pad toward him and started writing down names of anyone he could think of that might have wanted one or both of them dead.


	4. Chapter 4

Starsky heard a car pull up in front of his room and peeked out the window. When he saw it was Dobey, he walked over to unlock the door and let him in. He had called Dobey to ask him to bring the file for the case so he could go through it. He knew it would be hard, but he had to do it.

Dobey walked in and put the briefcase on the table. Starsky reached for it, but Dobey put his hand on top of it to keep Starsky from opening it. “Look, Starsky, you sure you want to do this?”

Starsky looked Dobey straight in the eyes. “I have to Cap’n. It’s what Hutch would do for me.”

Opening the briefcase, Dobey handed Starsky a file folder. “This is all we have so far.”

Taking the folder, Starsky sat at the small table and started to read through the information. He pulled the pad of paper close to him and jotted down the name of the woman who had witnessed the explosion. “Anyone go over her story again?”

“We haven’t been able to locate her. Someone must have transposed some of the numbers in her address and phone number, but we’re still trying.”

Starsky jotted something down on the paper by her name. He flipped through more pages and pictures of Hutch’s car. The photos caused him to shudder and remember what it looked like in person. He could remember the smell like he was standing by the car. Looking at the pictures, at how Hutch had died, almost brought tears to his eyes again. But he closed his eyes tightly and focused on the anger slowly building inside him. He finished going through the file, jotting down things he wanted to follow up on.

When he got to the end of the file, he flipped back through it, frowning. “Cap’n?”

“Yeah, Dave?”

“Where’s the M.E.’s report?”

“You don’t want to see that, Dave. I’ve gone over it. It’s complete and adds nothing to the case.”

“I. Want. To. See. It.”

Dobey sighed and reached back into his briefcase. He pulled out another folder and handed it to Starsky. “Are you sure about looking at this?”

Starsky took the folder and held it for a few seconds. “No. But I need to know. I have to know.” He placed the folder on the table, took a deep breath, and opened it. The first things in the folder were pictures of the body… Hutch… what was left of him. 

He almost shut the folder as his entire body rebelled at what he was seeing… the remains of his best friend. But he reminded himself he couldn’t afford to overlook any part of the investigation. He quickly flipped through the pictures and turned to what the Medical Examiner had written.  


Words jumped off the pages and cut into his heart... his soul. ‘Multiple fractures, new and old.’ ‘Extensive third degree burns.’ ‘Areas where flesh was totally burned off bones.’ Starsky kept reading. He had to know. The knowledge would fuel his need for justice. 

As he read the notes over and over, he couldn’t help but think he had read something that didn’t fit. But his mind refused to cooperate with him. He finally closed the report and told Dobey he needed some time alone, and to leave the folders with him for now. 

“Dave, are you sure?”

“Yeah, Cap’n. I need to clear my mind. I missed something, but there’s too much info floating around in my head. I can’t pinpoint what I missed.” He caught the concerned look Dobey was shooting at him. “I’m okay, I promise. I just need some time to think. Then I want to read through this again. I KNOW there was something off in there… somewhere.”

“Do you need anything else?” At Starsky’s negative shake of his head, Dobey opened the door. “You need anything, you call.”

“Thank you, Cap’n.”

Dobey closed the door and Starsky went to the fridge for a beer. He sat on the bed and drank slowly from the icy bottle. He closed his eyes and tried to re-construct Hutch from what the M.E.’s reports had said. ‘Burns, lacerations, fractures. flesh burnt off…’ 

“Fractures?”

Starsky jumped from the bed and grabbed the M.E.’s report, quickly flipping through the pages to find the one he wanted.

“DAMN!”


	5. Chapter 5

He opened the door to his room, forgetting he didn’t have a car here. Bennet and Howell both came out of rooms on either side of his, guns drawn. 

“I’m okay. I have to get to the station. I don’t have time for Dobey to come pick me up. I’ll clear it with him, but I need one of you to take me to Metro, now!”  


Bennet and Howell looked at each other and Bennet said, “I’ll take you. Grab what you need, I’ll get my jacket and we can head out.” Howell nodded and went back into his room.

Starsky ran back in his room and grabbed the files and his notes. By the time Bennet was opening the doors of his car, Starsky was there. He got in, shut the door, rolled down the window and put the MARS light on the roof. Bennet glanced at him. “That fast?”

He nodded. “That fast!”

****** 

Bennet wouldn’t let Starsky out at the front door. “Less conspicuous if you go in through the garage, Starsky.”

As soon as Bennet slowed the car, Starsky was out of it and running for the squad room, folders clutched in his hands. He burst through the doors and ran straight into Dobey’s office. “Cap’n!”

Dobey swung around from the file cabinet he had been looking in, reaching for the desk drawer that had his gun in it. “Damn it, Starsky! Don’t do that!” Then he realized Starsky was HERE instead of at the safe house. “What are you doing here?” 

Trying to catch his breath, Starsky managed to say, “I need to see all the reports from the officers who questioned the neighbors and any other witnesses. And I need to talk to the Medical Examiner. Can you get him up here?” Starsky had run out of breath from his dash up the stairs.

“What’s this about, Starsky?” 

“Please, Cap’n, just do it?” Starsky sat down in one of the chairs and pulled it closer to Dobey’s desk. He laid the folders on the desk and began sorting through them, looking for the items he wanted.

“Two of the officers who canvassed the area are on their way up here with their reports.” Dobey watched Starsky sorting pages from the folders he had given him. “What’s up, Starsky? Why did you leave the safe house? If the people who did this are looking for you…”

Starsky cut him off. “I don’t think they’re looking for me. Not in the way you think. I think they want me alive. And they need to be able to get in touch with me, so I can’t hide out at the motel, Cap’n.”

There was a knock at the door, and two officers stepped into the office. They were each holding folders. 

“Stuart and Poul, thanks for coming so quickly.” Dobey ushered them into chairs. 

Starsky reached out and took the folders. “Are these all the reports from people you talked to?” When they nodded yes, he put them on the desk and quickly scanned through them. “You sure this was all they had to say?”

Both officers nodded again, looking a bit worried that they might have missed something important.

“Did any of the people you questioned say anything about gunshots?” 

The officers looked at each other. Both thought carefully about the witness statements. Poul said, “No, Starsky. They all reported hearing the explosions, but none mentioned gun shots.”

Stuart added, “Same here. No one I talked to reported hearing gunshots.”

“Starsky, what’s this about?” Dobey wanted to know what was going on.

“Cap’n, I think…”

He was interrupted by the Medical Examiner stepping into the room. “You needed me, Captain Dobey?”

“Starsky has some questions for you.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Starsky.”

“Thanks, but I have a couple of questions.” Starsky picked up the first page he had marked to ask about. “You say here, ‘Evidence of old fracture of right index digit.’ What does that mean?”

The M.E. took the page and looked at it. “It means that at some point in time, not recently, that Hutchinson broke that finger, and it didn’t heal correctly, leaving the finger ‘bent’. You can tell it’s old because of the calcification around the break. But it still would have been usuable.”

“Would the bend in the finger have been noticeable?” Starsky picked up the picture of the right hand.

“Yes, it would have been.” He looked at Starsky, beginning to understand where he was headed with this. “You think…”

“Think what?” Dobey interrupted, looking between Starsky and the doctor.

“Cap’n, that’s not Hutch in the morgue!”

“Starsky?”

“Look, Cap’n. You got a woman who says she saw a tall blond wearing a green leather coat get into the car that blew apart. But you can’t track her down to question her again. ONE piece of his coat survived that inferno? Not one witness said anything about hearing gunshots. But Hutch wouldn’t have left his house to meet a snitch without his gun and extra ammo. You know Hutch, that gun is attached to him. In that heat, that fire, the bullets should have gone off. But no one heard them!”

Starsky put the witness statements down and picked up the picture of the corpse’s right hand. “Look at the index finger, Cap’n. See how it’s bent at the end? The tip points to the left? And according to the M.E., it’s an OLD fracture. Not something that happened in the explosion! Don’t you see, Cap? 

“That’s NOT Hutch. He isn’t dead!”


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re sure?” Dobey looked at both Starsky and the M.E.

“I didn’t do a DNA test on the remains, because we all thought it was Hutch. As soon as I get back to the morgue, that’s the first thing I’m going to do. I think there’s enough evidence to say the body down there isn’t Detective Hutchinson.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Starsky shook hands with the man who left to start the DNA test.

Dobey dismissed Poul and Stuart and walked behind his desk to sink into his chair. “If he’s not dead, what’s this about, Dave?”

“That’s the part I’m not quite sure of, Cap’n. But I THINK they want everyone to believe he’s dead so they can blackmail me. Someone I’m supposed to testify against wants to stop me. How better than to kidnap Hutch, fake his death, then call me with the ultimatum, ‘Do what we want, or he really will die.’?”

“Any clues?”

“I wrote down some names last night.” Starsky dug through the folders to find the tablet. He picked it up and looked at the list. “There’s several on here who are connected enough to do this. I checked the three I suspect the most.”

Dobey took the paper and read it over. “Some pretty heavy hitters on here. What’s your plan?”

“I move back to my apartment. You keep officers around there 24/7. Make them believe we think I’m a target. And wait for them to call me.”

Dobey nodded. “You think they’ll let you talk to Hutch?”

“If they want me to work with them, they’ll have to.” He took a deep breath. “This was a pretty elaborate plan. Why else would they have someone play Hutch and kill him? Hutch HAS to be alive. They think I believe Hutch is dead. They’ll have to let me talk to him, before I’d even listen to what they have to say.”

“You know, if you cooperate, they’ll kill Hutch. Then they’ll kill you.”

“I know, Cap’n, but I have to do this. I have to try to keep Hutch alive. And I have to believe we’ll trip them up. I have to risk this. For Hutch.”


	7. Chapter 7

Hutch tried to change his position, but he was restrained in such a way that he couldn’t move. The blindfold on his eyes kept him from seeing anything, but he thought the room was dark as well. His head hurt where he had been slugged with something heavy. His left arm hurt as well. It felt like someone had injected something there.

God, he hoped it wasn’t anything in the heroin family of drugs. He tested himself to see if he could feel any of the euphoric feelings he remembered from when he had been addicted before. He felt ‘normal’. So it must have been something to keep him quiet and asleep while they moved him.

Starsky had to be looking for him by now. Hutch froze. Unless Starsky was restrained in the room with him? He tried to call out, but the gag in his mouth only allowed for muffled grunts and groans. He listened intently, but he didn’t hear any other noises in the room.

What if Starsky WAS in the room, but was unconscious or… He struggled to get out of the ropes keeping him prisoner. All he succeeding in doing was making them cut into his wrists. 

Think Hutchinson! 

Starsky hadn’t been with him at his place. He was supposed to go over to his partner’s house to watch the game and have some beers. Maybe they didn’t have Starsky? 

He had opened his door, ready to leave, and faced a tall blond man standing in the doorway with a gun pointed at him. He stepped back and reached for his gun. The man grabbed his arm and spun him around, hitting him over the head. He didn’t remember anything else, until he woke up here. 

If they didn’t have Starsky then his partner was surely looking for him by now. That thought gave him comfort. Starsky would turn over every rock and look in every dark place until he found him. 

Hutch’s mind wouldn’t stop spinning different scenarios. 

Why were they keeping him alive? To torture some information out of him? Why not just kill him? They had to know Starsky would come looking for him. Was that it? To draw out Starsky?

He couldn’t come up with any answers, so he closed his eyes behind the blindfold and tried to rest and conserve his energy in case he needed to fight his way out of here. IF he got the chance.

He heard a door open and footsteps walking toward him. He still couldn’t tell if there were lights on or not. The footsteps stopped fairly close to him. Starsky?

Whoever it was didn’t speak. Just stood there. Then Hutch felt the sting of a needle going into his right arm. NO! Not more drugs! He couldn’t pull away. He sat there while whatever they were giving him was entering his system.

He waited to feel the rush he’d had with the heroin, but he just felt tired. Thank God, not heroin. Why would they want to… ? His mind went blank and his head lolled to the side.


	8. Chapter 8

Starsky and Dobey looked over the list Starsky had made and narrowed it down to three men. They began looking into each man. One, Rames, was dead. That left two. Dobey looked through the police files on Karenst while Starsky did the same with Tesafe’s. 

“Tesafe’s in Folsom. Life, no parole. No chance he’s the one.” 

They both went through Karenst’s file. The more they read, the more they were convinced they had the right man. Karenst was scheduled for trial on assault, racketeering, and murder. His lawyers had managed to get him out on bail. Starsky was the main witness for the prosecution. 

“Why didn’t they just kill me?” 

“They knew they would be suspected. This way, they think they can use Hutch to blackmail you into cooperating.” Dobey picked up his phone and said, “I want tails on Karenst and anyone leaving his estate. Get plate numbers for anyone going in or out. Report everything to me.”

“I have to get back to my apartment. They may have tried to call already.” Starsky stood up and started to walk to the door.

“Be careful, Dave. We both want Hutch back, but not at the cost of your life too. Karenst hasn’t stayed out of prison this long because he’s stupid or careless. He knows what’s at stake here. He’s not going to make any mistakes.”

“He may not make a mistake. But not all his men can be so perfect. Someone knows where Hutch is, and I’m going to find that one man. Then I’m gonna find Hutch.” Starsky left Metro, found the Torino in the parking garage, and drove toward The Pits. 

***** 

“Huggy!” Starsky watched as his friend moved out from behind the bar and walked toward the table Starsky was heading for.

“Any news?” Huggy sat a beer in front of Starsky and sat down across from him.

“Yeah. Hutch isn’t dead.” Starsky grinned at Huggy.

“What?” Huggy stared at Starsky, trying to figure out if he had lost it or not.

“The M.E. is doing DNA tests, but him, Dobey and I are all sure Hutch is alive and being held to blackmail me.”

“Who?”

“That’s why I’m here. You heard of Karenst?”

“Who hasn’t heard of him? He’s bad news, man.”

“We think he snatched Hutch to keep me from testifying against him. Keep this between us, but I need to know anything you can find out about him. Any place he might have Hutch stashed. Anybody saying anything, I need to know, Hug.”

“You got it, Starsky. Anything to help you and my blond brother.”

“Thanks, Huggy. I’ll be at my place. Use the back door if you get news instead of calling, my phone will have a tap on it.” He clapped Huggy on the shoulder, took a sip of his beer and walked out of the bar, heading home


	9. Chapter 9

Starsky ran up the steps to his apartment. He noticed the officers keeping an eye on it and him. He grabbed a root beer from the fridge and settled on his couch to wait for the phone to ring. He was sure Karenst had someone watching his place and knew he was back. The phone should be ringing any time now.

As if he’d willed it to, the phone rang. He let it ring twice before he answered. “Starsky.”

“Well, Starsky. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“Who is this?” Starsky’s grip was tight on the receiver. 

“I’m disappointed in you, Detective. What? You haven’t been looking for your partner? You don’t care who snatched Hutchinson?”

"Hutch is dead! What are you talking about? Who is this?"

This is the man who has your partner all trussed up and tucked safely away." 

“Where is he? You better not have hurt him or I’ll…” 

The voice interrupted him. “You’ll what? Kill me?” The man laughed. “You don’t even know who this is, how are you going to kill me?” 

“I want to talk to him.” Starsky continued to let his anger out in his voice. He kept an eye on the clock, he was watching to see if enough time had passed for a trace to be complete. “Put him on the phone! NOW!”

“Tsk tsk, Starsky. YOU don’t give the orders now. I do. Or should I put a bullet in his head right now?”

Starsky heard the sound of a gun being cocked. His breathing hitched and his heart skipped several beats. “NO! Look, who is this? What do you want?” He didn’t have to try hard to make his voice sound less angry. Hutch’s life depended on him playing this right.

“Well, that’s better. You need to remember who has the power here. Do we understand?”

“Yes. I get it. Please, just let me talk to Hutch.”

He heard sounds of movement on the other end of the line. Then he heard the sweetest sound in the world. “Starsk?”

“Yeah, Hutch, it’s me. Are you all right?”

“Got a headache.”

“Look, it’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

“Starsk… “

“That’s enough. Take him back to his cell.” 

Starsky heard the sound of movement again and heard Hutch yell, “No!”

“If you’ve hurt him, I promise… “

“He’s not hurt. We’ve just given him a little something to help him sleep.”

His gut clenched as Starsky’s mind flashed back to when Hutch had been forcibly addicted to heroin. His hand tightened more on the phone as he strained to hear anything else from his partner. 

“What did you give him?”

“You don’t ask the questions here, Detective. Have you figured out who I am yet?”

“No. Who are you? And why did you snatch Hutch?”

“This is Dennis Karenst. Remember me? You’re the only witness the prosecution has that can put me in prison. I prefer for that to not happen.”

“What do you want?” Starsky made his voice sound defeated. He knew enough time had passed for a trace. Now, if they could just get an address, he would have a place to start looking for Hutch.

“It’s simple, Detective. I keep Hutchinson until the trial starts on Monday. When you’re called to the stand, you will tell a different story than the one you told the prosecutors. As soon as the judge orders the case against me dropped, I’ll let your partner go. 

“You need to remember how easily I got to him. So, if you try anything to put me back under arrest, I can promise you, and your partner will be dead within the hour. 

“Do you understand, Starsky?”

“I understand. What guarantee do I have that you’ll keep your word?”

“You will just have to trust me.” Starsky heard the man laughing as he hung up the phone.

Starsky hung up his phone and quickly picked it back up to call Dobey. “Cap’n? You get an address?”

“It’s Karenst’s house. I’ve got more officers heading out there for coverage. It’s not going to be easy getting in there, Starsky. What’s your plan?”

“I’m working on it, Cap. I’m working on it.” As he hung up his phone, he heard a sound from the back of his house. He grabbed his gun and slid against the wall by his kitchen.

“Starsk?”

He stepped around the wall, holstering his gun as he did. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you to knock?”

Huggy grinned. “Where’s the fun in knocking? Might miss seein’ something tasty.” He quickly sobered and asked. “Hear anything?”

Starsky pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. He motioned for Huggy to sit. “I got to talk to Hutch briefly. Karenst has him. Dobey said the trace showed the call came from Karenst’s house. You got anything?”

“Yeah, word is Karenst is looking to move out of the country for a while. He’s gonna clear his name in the murder case, then he’s relocatin’. My bird told me Karenst will have to move, because he’s plannin’ on offing two cops.” 

“I guess I already knew that last part. Any way into his house?”

Huggy shook his head. “No. That place is locked up tighter’n Fort Knox.”

“Then I guess it’s the front door.”

“Starsky! What’re you planning to do? You walk up to his door, he’ll just kill Hutch AND you!”

“I don’t think so, Hug. He needs time to get everything ready to move. That’s why he grabbed Hutch. To give himself time to finish moving his business. This thing about the trial is just a smokescreen. I’m sure of it.

“You still got that little peashooter you carry?”

“Yeah. Why?” 

“C’mon. I need your help.” Starsky stood up and walked toward his bedroom with Huggy following him. He stripped off his shirt as he walked into the room.

“Hey, Starsky, you KNOW I don’t swing that way!”

“Can it, Hug.” He stepped into the bathroom, grabbed something and returned to the bedroom. He watched as Huggy started to grin.

“This might not work, but I figure it’s the only chance I’m gonna have to save Hutch.”


	10. Chapter 10

“NO! No way!” Captain Dobey glared at Starsky and paced back and forth. “You are NOT going to do this! Do you want to get yourself killed? I won’t let you do this! It’s like painting a target on your back!”

“Cap’n, he’s not gonna kill me until he’s sure he’s cleared of all the charges. And there’s no ‘not gonna let you’ to this. I’m doing it. Karenst is getting ready move out of the country. If he decides it’s not worth waiting for the trial, he’ll kill Hutch. 

“I don’t have a choice.” Starsky stared at Dobey to get his point across.

Dobey looked at Starsky and nodded. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

Huggy, Dobey, and Starsky sat down at the table and ironed out the details. Dobey still wasn’t happy, but Starsky had made up his mind.


	11. Chapter 11

Huggy had offered to drive Starsky, but Starsky turned him down. “No. Thanks, Huggy, but I need to be sure he knows it’s me, and that I’m being up front about it.” 

As Starsky pulled up to the closed gates guarding Karenst’s house, he debated for a few seconds with his decision. Too late now, he thought as he reached out to push the button on the small box at the side of the driveway. He took a deep breath as he waited for someone to acknowledge him.

“State your name and business.” The hard voice came through the speaker.

“I think you know who I am and why I’m here. Open the damn gate! I need to talk to Karenst. Now!” 

Starsky was sort of surprised that it was that easy as he watched the gates sliding to the side. He drove slowly up the curving drive toward the palatial house. When he came to a stop in front of the steps leading up to the doors of the house, he wasn’t surprised to have four of Karenst’s goons greeting him with guns drawn. 

“Get out of your car with your hands up. Slowly.” 

He complied and stood there while one man searched his underarms, waist and inseams of his jeans.. He had put on a denim shirt with his holster over it and left off his jacket. The man pulled Starsky’s gun from its holster and put in in the waistband of his slacks.

“I’m gonna want that back.” Starsky told him.

The man shoved him toward the steps. The others fell in behind them, with their guns still drawn. The front door swung open as they reached the top of the steps. Karenst was standing in the doorway. 

“Well, Detective Starsky. To what do I owe this honor?”

“I want to see my partner. And I think we have some things to talk over.” Starsky put his arms down. “Now, we gonna stand out here on the porch and talk about this, or are you going to invite me into your little shack?”

Karenst’s eyes narrowed at Starsky’s insult to his mansion, but he stepped aside and waved Starsky in. 

He walked in, followed by three of the goons and their guns. He followed Karenst into what must have been his office. Starsky walked over by the floor to ceiling windows and turned to face his host. “Look, I need to know more about what you want me to do. If I go into court and tell them I lied about everything, my career as a cop is over.”

Karenst snorted. “You come here to try to extort money from me? You got big ones, Detective. What is it you think I should give you?” His goons laughed with him. 

“My partner and I will need some cash to start up some kind of business. In return, I ruin my reputation by perjuring myself to clear you. We’ll have to move out of California and start something somewhere else. That’s gonna cost money we don’t have.”

“How about we stick to our original agreement? You clear me and I don’t kill your partner… and you?” Karenst took a cigar out of the humidor on his desk and lit it. “Now, what else is on your mind?”

“I want to see Hutch. I want to see that he’s alive and unharmed. If I have to go through with this, I want to see him… now.”

“Steven, go see if our guest is awake and wants to receive company.” 

One of the goons left. Starsky stayed by the windows. He hoped Hutch hadn’t been drugged. He needed him alert. If he wasn’t… they were both probably dead.


	12. Chapter 12

When the study door opened again, it was all Starsky could do to stay where he was and not rush across the room. Hutch had a goon on each side of him. He was bound, gagged and had a blindfold over his eyes. He stumbled a little and looked like he’d been drugged. His head hung down.

Starsky kept himself still, holding in the need to move. He needed to keep the windows, and the glare from them, behind him. The goons tugged Hutch over and left him standing in front of Starsky. 

Starsky reached out and pulled the blindfold off Hutch. Hutch blinked against the glare of the lights from the windows. “Hutch? Hey, buddy. You okay?” Starsky reached behind Hutch and pulled the gag off, ruffling his hair at the same time.

“Starsk? Wha’… how?” He tried to reach for Starsky, but his hands were still bound behind him.

“What did you give him? He’s so stoned, he doesn’t know what’s going on!” Starsky reached behind Hutch and worked at the knots of the rope tied around his wrists. As he did, he whispered, carefully to his partner. “Remember ‘Last Gun Fired’?” 

“What are you doing, Starsky?” All the guns in the room were pointed right at him. 

“I’m trying to make sure my partner is okay.” He had the ropes off Hutch and pulled him close. He looked into Hutch’s eyes and was relieved when Hutch winked at him. Then he moved Hutch behind him, putting his body between Hutch’s and all the guns pointing at them.

Hutch leaned weakly against Starsky’s back. He put his left hand on Starsky’s shoulder. When he put his right hand up, it slid down his partner’s back.  


Starsky faked a step forward, then straightened up and moved back, as if to brace Hutch.

“You’ve seen Hutchinson, now tell me you’re ready to hold up your side of our bargain.”

Starsky felt Hutch tense behind him. He quickly said, “Listen!” Hutch’s tension eased a fraction. “How do I know you won’t kill him now, and me, after I perjure myself? How do I know you won’t kill us both right now? You have my gun. You want my boots too?” He knew Hutch had caught his subtle emphasis on the words ‘gun’ and ‘boots’. Hutch knew they had two guns between them. Now he had to let Hutch know the rest of the plan. 

“This is getting us nowhere. Take Hutchinson back to his… room.”

“I’m not through, Karenst! He stays until I’m through.” He had to clue Hutch in. “I’m right, aren’t I? If Hutch left right now with your goons, he’d be dead before I got out the front gate!” Again the subtle emphasis on two words, ‘left’ and ‘right’.

Hutch leaned into his back again, like he was weak. He whispered, “Ready.”

Both knew they might die in the next few seconds, but at least they’d die fighting… together. 

Starsky glanced at the clock on the wall over Karenst’s shoulder. “Listen, I’m gonna tell you one more time how this has to go down. One, you will make sure Hutch is treated right. Two, you will let me walk out of here... NOW!”

Starsky fell to the right and grabbed the small pistol tucked in his boot. He saw Hutch fall to the left with Huggy’s gun Starsky had taped to his back. They both fired as they heard gunshots from outside the house. 

The light coming in from the windows made it hard for the goons to target them. Starsky and Hutch managed to wound all three guards. Karenst was lying across his desk, bleeding from a wound to his abdomen. 

The door to the room burst open and Dobey, along with ten officers spilled into the room. 

“Starsky! Hutch!”

The officers quickly cuffed the goons and Karenst and took them out of the room.

“Here, Cap’n.” Starsky stood up and quickly went to check on Hutch. He found his partner lying behind a chair, with a wound to his left shoulder. “Hutch!”

Hutch sat up with Starsky‘s help. “I’m okay. It’s not deep.” Hutch looked up at his partner. “You okay?”

Starsky slid down to sit beside Hutch. He leaned in, touching his forehead to Hutch’s. “I am now, blondie, I am now.”


	13. TAG

Starsky, Hutch, and Dobey sat around the back table at Huggy’s. They were waiting for Huggy to bring out the appetizer plate and join them. Each had a beer in front of them.

Huggy brought out a huge platter covered with food that was steaming and sending off wonderful aromas. He sat the tray in the middle of the table and slid in beside Dobey. “Voila! Huggy’s ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ appetizer tray. We got your basic cheesy biscuits, mini tacos, fried won tons, and other delicacies to tempt even the most discerning palate.”

As they all dug in and began eating, Dobey said, “Okay, tell me what happened and how you got the drop on three armed men and Karenst.”

“Well, Cap’n, it’s like this. I knew his goons would search me, but they usually just search under the arms, the belt line and inseams. So I hid a small gun in one of my boots. Huggy gave me his peashooter, and I had him tape it to the middle of my back. I put on a denim shirt that was stiff enough to hide it.”

Hutch picked up the story. “We’d watched a spy movie a couple weeks ago called, ‘Last Gun Fired’. The hero had to sneak a gun into the bad guy’s house, so he taped it to the middle of his back. Starsky managed to whisper the name of the movie to me. So I pretended to be weak and ‘fall’ against his back so I could pull the gun off.”

“About that tape job, Huggy? It felt like Hutch pulled half the skin off my back when he pulled the gun loose!” Starsky glared at Huggy.

“Hey, man, I had to make sure it would stay put!” Huggy waved off Starsky’s griping.

Starsky finished the tale, “I let Hutch know I was gonna move to the right and he should go left. And on the count of three, we dived in different directions and started firing.”

Dobey interrupted, “Wait! How did you let Hutch know which way to move. And how did you count to three without them getting suspicious?”

“You’d have had to be there to understand, Captain.” Hutch answered with a smile. 

Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and grinned. After a few seconds they laughed and dug back into the appetizers.

Dobey nudged Huggy, “I sometimes think they can read each other’s minds.”

Huggy replied, “Nah, they’re just weird.”


End file.
